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Two UK indie labels have attacked the concept of Record Store Day, decrying it as "certainly not beneficial to small labels".
Bristol's Howling Owl Records and London's Sonic Cathedral have announced a new single with Spectres and Lorrelle Meets The Obsolete on the same day as Record Store day. However, any intention to take part in the global vinyl love in is soon put aside as the two labels but have issued a lengthy statement on the site recordstoredayisdying.com.
Although clear that they are against neither record stores themselves or the original intentions of Record Store Day, they take aim at what the current incarnation.
"If it’s a protest against anything, it’s what Record Store Day has become: just another event in the annual music industry circus that begins with the BBC Sound Of… list and ends with the Mercury Prize, co-opted by major labels and used as another marketing stepping stone, like an appearance on ‘Later… With Jools Holland’ or bagging the sunset slot at Glasto," they said in a statement.
- See the list of Record Store Day 2015 releases here
They continued: "If you want to queue up from the early hours of April 18 to buy Mumford & Sons’ 7” or an overpriced Noel Gallagher 12” to flip on eBay, then fine, but what the hell has it got to do with us? U2 have already shat their album into our iTunes, why should they constipate the world’s pressing plants with it too? And there’s a picture disc of A-ha’s ‘Take On Me’ as well. Of course it’s a fine pop single, but there’s bound to be a copy in the Oxfam around the corner.
"No, because of the rules and regulations (minimum pressing amounts, no direct to customer sales, blah blah blah) Record Store Day really isn’t fun, and it’s certainly not beneficial to small, backs to the wall labels like Sonic Cathedral and Howling Owl. But we are still affected by it. Badly. There are currently no copies of Spectres’ album ‘Dying’ on vinyl in the shops because the repress is somewhere towards the back of the queue after some Foo Fighters studio scrapings, a host of EPs by The 1975 and about a million heavyweight ‘heritage rock’ reissues that no-one really needs. Less Cheap Trick, more bloody expensive con.
They added: "The final irony was getting a call to say that this very 7” was going to be delayed and might not be shipped until after Record Store Day. We’ve switched plants, and fingers crossed they will appear on time for the first copy to go on sale on April 18. If they don’t, well, there are 364 other days on which to buy and release records… "
Below: Listen to RSD Is Dying by Spectres
Among the hundreds of limited edition vinyl records and more due for release throughout independent record stores around the world on 18 Apri are the likes of David Bowie, Foo Fighters, Bob Dylan and many more.
Dave Grohl was previously named as this year's official Record Store Day Ambassador. "I found my calling in the back bin of a dark, dusty record store," he said. "1975's K-Tel's Blockbuster 20 Original Hits by the original Stars featuring Alice Cooper, War, Kool and the Gang, Average White Band and many more, bought at a small record shop in my suburban Virginia neighborhood, it was this record that changed my life and made me want to become a musician."
